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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

O. J. SCHOENEMAXN, OF NEW' YORK, N. Y.

PIANOFORTE-KEY.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 29,522, dated August '7, 1860.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, O. J. SCHOENEMANN, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Keys for Pianofortes, &c.; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same. reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section of my invention, the line a2, Fig. 3, indicating the plane of section. Fig. 2, is a similar section taken in the plane indicated by the line m, m', Fig. 3, and intended to represent the difference between my invention and a modification described in the patent of M. Philippi October 1l, 1859. Fig. 3 is a plan or top view of my invention, showing also some keys arranged as described in the above named patent.

Similar letters of reference in the three views indicate corresponding parts.

The object of this invention is to enable the player to execute chromatic passages Aafter a few hours7 practice with a greater perfection than t-hey can be played by t-he greatest pianist and this at a velocity which could never be attained by a life time of practice on the ordinary key board. T o effect this it has been proposed to so construct the upper surface of the keys of a pianoforte, that while the ordinary form of the key-board is retained portions of all the keys are brought to the same level in the key board, and a patent has been granted for this improvement to M. Philippi October 11, 1859. The objections to his arrangement are that the level portions of the keys are in close proximity to the name-board or in the rear of the key-board and out of convenient reach of the hands and especially of the thumbs of the player, and at the same time said port-ions are also brought so close to the fulcrum of the keys that it takes considerable power to depress the same, a ditliculty which is felt especially in cases where it is desired to play a passage glisando that is by merely gliding over the keys with the surface of the finger nails. Mr. Philippi also describes in his atent as a modification that the level portion of the keys may be arranged below that portion of the key board which is of usual construction, by extending the sharp and fiat keys through cavities in the under sides of the other keys. The disadvantage of this arrangement and the advantages of my improvement, over the same will be made apparent as I proceed with my description.

My invention consists in the arrangement in front of the ordinary key board of an additional series of keys equal in number to the keys of the ordinary key board and so placed that their upper surfaces are all on the same level and that each key of the additional series connects with one of the keys of the ordinary keyboard in such a manner that the same are in convenient reach of the hands and especially of the thumbs of the player and that all chromatic passages can be executed with the utmost facility.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation with reference to the drawing.

The keyboard A, is constructed in the. ordinary manner of a series of keys B, B', which have their fulcrum in pins a, a. The sharp and fiat keys B', are distinguished from the rest of the keys by their elevated position and by the different color as usual. The additional series of keys O, O, are arranged in front of the regular keyboard, and somewhat below the surface of the ordinary keys A, and the keys C connect with the ordinary or white keys B, of the keyboard A, and the keys C, connect with the sharp and iat keys B. The surfaces of these additional keys C, C, are on a perfect level and the width of these keys is such, that the room, occupied by the whole series is equal in length to the room occupied by the ordinary keyboard. By this arrangement of the additional keys C, O, each of them is in convenient reach of the hands and especially of the thumbs of the player and all chromatic passages, such as the simple chromatic scale running in minor and major thirds, in fourths, in minor and major sixths, and in octaves and also chromatic successions of chords, as for instance the sixths with thirds, the octaves with thirds, the. chord of the diminished seventh, and in short. every chromatic passage of any description whatever, can be executed with the greatest perfection, and the chromatic scale can now be introduced in all compositions independent from the key in which they are written, or played.

The superiority of my arrangement over the modification above mentioned and described in the patent of Mr. Philippi will be easily understood by referring to Fig. 3 in the drawing. Mr. Philippi says that the level portion of the keys may also be arranged below that portion of the key board which is of usual Construction. This way of arranging the keys will not only make more labor in the construction, but it will also be not at all convenient, as in this case the thumbs alone can be used for operating the additional keys Cl, Ci, (Fig. 3,) and even for the thumbs these keys, if arranged according to Mr. Philippis description, are in a rather awkward position, whereas with my arrangement the keys C, C, are in the most convenient position for the thumbs of both hands and they can also be reached quite easily with any of the other fingers.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The arrangement in front of the ordinary key board of an additional series of keys, equal in number to the keys of the ordinary key board and so placed that their upper surfaces are all on the saine level, and that each key of the additional series connects with one of the keys of the ordinary key board as and for the purpose set forth.

C. J. SGHOENEMANN.

llfitnesses Lnwis lV. BENDR, M. M. LlvINGsToN. 

